1Timothy 4:14 - On The Way To Being Wasted

”Do not be neglecting the spiritual gift in you, which was given to you through prophecy with laying upon of the hands of the council of elders.”

-Neglect.  Taking something for granted, and leaving it alone.  On the shelf.  On the way to being wasted.  He created and designed us in part to be stewards, to take care of His creation (cf Genesis 2.15), all that which He has made and has given to us for the benefit of many - not to waste it.  We neglect good things, precious things, wondrous-potential-filled things to our own detriment - and theirs.  And even gifts, special gifts, can be wasted and squandered if neglected, if they are not stewarded and developed wisely.

-Timothy had a special gift, a grace-gift from God, called a charisma (remember the Greek word for “grace” is charis).  There is a good chance that it was in fact a gift of exhortation/teaching, to which Paul refers several times in this section, and which Timothy was in some way perhaps naturally disinclined to use - which is precisely why Paul is urging him to continue in it, in this role of teaching all these things to this church in Ephesus (cf 1Timothy 4.11).  Teaching (with authority) the eternal truths of God, the precious Gospel - it can be quite an intimidating, even daunting proposition.  It is quite likely that Timothy was tempted to shy away from this role and give into an instinctive spirit of timidity (cf 2Timothy 1.6-7).

-Now Paul reminds Timothy of the origin of this gift, that his was actually given during a special ceremony, accompanied by a word of prophecy of some sort.  This is not the norm we see throughout the New Testament.  The charismata are typically given by the Holy Spirit, which is why they are also called pneumatikos (from the Greek word, pneuma, for breath/wind/Spirit).  Each person who believes in Jesus is given a gift, a manifestation of the Spirit (John 7.39, 14.16-17, 26), for the good and the building up of the body (1Corinthians 12.7, 14.26; 1Peter 4.10; Ephesians 4.12 - note: this is the work of the saints!).  These gifts are distributed and measured individually to each believer in different amounts (Romans 12.3-6, 1Corinthians 12.4-7, Ephesians 4.7-8).  The New Testament authors do not spend a lot of time addressing spiritual gifts, but when they do address the topic of the gift of the Spirit and His gifts we see copious appeals towards unity and love and serving one another (Ephesians 4.4-7, 4.13; 1Peter 4.9-10; 1Thessalonians 4.8-9; Ephesians 4.12, 15-16; 1Corinthians 14.12, 13.2-3, 8-13; Romans 14.15-17, 12.9; cf 1Corinthians 11.17, 1.7-10) and a vision for accrued glory for the Lord as a result (1Peter 4.11; Ephesians 1.14; 2Corinthians 4.17-5.5, 3.6-8, 1.20-22; Romans 8.14-18, 5.1-5; John 16.13-14).  More and more people growing in their knowledge and celebration of the breathtaking goodness of God.  And that’s really what it comes down to for Timothy, at this point.  He needs to care about the glory of God more than himself, more than his own comfort and reputation.  God has set him apart with a special gift for a special purpose, and he needs to come to and be kept at the place where he values how the cultivation and use of this gift will enhance God’s reputation and the eternal outlook of the precious souls around him more than he values simply watching out for his own donkey.  How about you and me?  How are we doing at stewarding what He has given to us?  Are we neglecting our charisma?  Do we even know what it is?  Next verse...